Each day throughout the holiday season The Cat’s Meow is showcasing an adoptable cat seeking a home in time for the holidays.

Grab a hankie. Today’s featured cat is Tommy, a formerly abused orange tabby, who, despite his bad breaks in life, is a gentle and loving purrbaby. This senior fella has only one Christmas request: a loving furever Home 4 the Holidays. In return for your love, he’ll change your life. He’s in Santa Clara, CA.

Here’s Tommy’s story:

Tommy is an extremely large and loving long haired orange tabby who was extremely abused. When we rescued Tommy he weighed 8 pounds. Now he is 14 pounds! He is extremely gentle and loving. He will break your heart when you see him. All Tommy wants is to live his senior years in his own home where he will be loved and spoiled. Please open your heart to Tommy. He will change your life. For more information, please email info@animalrescueandcarenetwork.org.

ADOPTION INFORMATION:
PetFinder ID: 14954658
Animal Rescue and Care Network Inc.
Santa Clara, CA
(408) 846-8466
info@animalrescueandcarenetwork.org

Learn more about Tommy here.

• Click here to find an adoptable pet in your area.

If you’re an art collector or a cat lover (or better yet, both), check out this story about a central California shelter that is leveraging the creativity of their resident feline fauves to create art that will in turn be sold to raise money for the shelter.

For the past few months, inside a small visiting room lined with plastic tarps at Woods Humane Society, the cats and kittens that call the shelter home have been creating unique Christmas gifts.

About 10 of the shelter’s more than 40 homeless felines have been using their padded paws to produce one-of-a-kind paintings that will be debuted and sold to the public Saturday, Dec. 5, during an open house at the facility.

“How many people can say they have a painting by a cat in their home?” three-year Woods volunteer Linda Beatson said about the cat painting project she and other volunteers started in August.

The long-term project aims to increase awareness about companion pet overpopulation, especially felines, in San Luis Obispo County and raise money for Woods’ vital spay and neuter program, all in a fun way.

“It’s always fun to watch (the cats paint),” said Woods volunteer Mimi Ditchie. “You just have to laugh when you watch it.”

All proceeds from the paintings — which are framed and matted and cost between $40 and $8, depending on the size — will go toward the shelter’s spay and neuter program.

“The No. 1 overpopulation issue in the county is cats,” said Steve Kragenbrink, Woods Humane Society community programs director.

Statistics show that an unspayed female, her mate and all of their offspring, producing two litters a year, can total a whopping 67,000 cats in just six years.

Since starting its spay and neuter program in September 2006, Woods has performed 6,660 alterations on homeless cats and dogs. The surgeries cost the shelter exactly $40.

“One of the things that I love about this project is that (Woods’) cats are helping their fellow cats,” Kragenbrink added. “We have been sitting on a pot of boiling water with this. It will make an impact. I really think it will take off.”

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In the 1994 book “Why Cats Paint,” authors Heather Busch and Burton Silver conclude felines paint “to communicate their unique, undiluted view of the world and perhaps provide us with the clues we need to ensure the survival and future well-being of all species … .”

At Woods, volunteers like Beatson and Sharyn Sugarman believe the real reason cats paint, at least the ones at the rural San Luis Obispo-based shelter, is because the felines’ paws are dipped in paint and there’s not much else they can do but walk around on paper and make “pretty designs.”

The cats are never forced to paint, and if a feline doesn’t like having its paws dipped in hues chosen by the volunteers, the animal is taken back to the cattery and another is picked to try its paw at becoming the next Picasso.

“We won’t use them if they are scared, but some of them just love the attention, and they will pose,” Sugarman said. “Some of them are just like people; they are meant to be artists, and some doctors and nurses.”

Once the paint is applied to their front paws, the feline is let loose on a large sheet of paper that serves as their canvas, where they can smear and spatter their way to a one-of-a-kind painting.

“There will never be another one of these,” Beatson said with a big smile about the 60 individual paintings created since August by cats like Tulip — one of the best feline painters at the shelter — and Rosalie and Orange, who both purr and lick the volunteers’ hands when they are painting.

The women use nontoxic, washable, acrylic paint and have found that younger felines tend to prefer painting more than the older cats, in part, because young cats and kittens don’t usually mind having their feet cleaned after they paint, Beatson said.

“The whole process has evolved,” she said. “We are trying all the techniques that we can, and we have definitely learned what not to do when cats paint.”

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When Beatson suggested the idea of having cats at Woods paint works of art that could be sold to raise money for pet overpopulation, everyone laughed.

The Arroyo Grande resident got the idea from the coffee-table book “Why Cats Paint,” which she owns.

“When they stopped laughing, Steve (Kragenbrink) said to go for it,” Beatson said.

One of the most famous cat paintings, “Wonglu,” created by Lu Lu, a seal lynx that lived in Italy, and painter Wong Wong sold for $19,000 at an auction in 1993, and another feline artist earned $75,000 over a five-year span for its one-of-a-kind artwork.

Kragenbrink, along with shelter volunteers like Beatson and Sugarman, who are part of Woods’ Special Feline Team, hope to work with local art galleries and wineries in the future to get the cats’ paintings shown.

“The whole idea is to raise money for the spay/neuter program,” Sugarman said about having the cats paint.

Beatson added, “Hopefully, it will take off.”

Woods Humane Society is located at 875 Oklahoma Ave, San Luis Obispo, CA 93405. Phone: (805) 543-9316.

[LINK: Times Press Recorder]

Hey evrybuddy, Skeezix heer.

Last week, I had the oppertoonity to werk out with sellebrity catterciser, Tara Brown. You mite have seen her on CNN reesintly, or you mite know her frum her website catworkout.com.

She filmed a speshul edishun of catworkout at Catster HQ, and I got to be in it! She led me and Moxie (the cat-like instrument on the right) in an exersize rooteen. Snuzzy and da grate Ted Rheingold helped out.

Now, before you deside to jump on the cattercising bandwagon, keep in mind the following:

• Start slow and bild up to the advanst mooves you see us doing in the video. I watched the catworkout.com videos for weeks before I starred in this video.
• Ware appropriate werkout clothing. Cuz the best part of werking out is gitting to pik out a kyoot outfit to ware.
• Stay hydrated during yer werkout. And that duzn’t meen chugging toona joose. Drink the stuff that tastes like krap, cuz that’s the stuff that’s helthy for you.
• Be shur to cool down after yer workout or you’ll git sore. I furgot this step, and boy, I cood barely walk the next morning!

Heer are sum helthy werkout drink choices:

See? No toona joose!

Thanks, Tara, for the grate werkout!

Find out more about CatWorkout.com:

• CatWorkout.com
• Get Fit with Your Fat Cat

• Follow catworkout on Twitter
• CNN Story

There are times when I tote our 20-lb. tabby, Trip, up the stairs that I regret not having put on a hernia belt beforehand. Every time, it’s a mini-workout.

On Muscle Beach in southern California, Tara Brown has taken it one step further and incorporated her cat, Lucky Cat, into her fitness routine.

It all started when Lucky Cat would scurry between her feet whenever she used the barbells, and was all over her when Brown did her stretches and yoga.

Brown’s own mother often exercised with her cats and LC’s behavior convinced Brown that she should do the same.

“I like to use light weights anyway for the bicep curls and twists, so I use my cat,” Brown said. She’s quick to point out that it’s not just a workout, but a way to bond with LC.

Lucky Cat sits on Brown’s lap during yoga sessions and intently watches birds flying nearby. When Brown does leg lunges, stomach crunches and abdominal twists, Lucky Cat comes along for the ride. Brown twists side to side to work her abs, with added weight — her cat perched on her shoulders. Lucky Cat emits an occasional meow and flicks her tail. Their weekly exercises are chronicled on Brown’s blog, catworkout.com.

“You’re using the cat as a weight, so you can do biceps, abs and they’re getting attention,” Brown said. “Obviously if the cat gets cranky, don’t stress them out or anything. They’ll let you know if they’re ticked off. That’s when you need to stop.”

If your pussycat is pudgy, your workout can be designed help work your cat out as well.

Celebrity trainer Gunnar Peterson, who has trained actresses JLo and Cameron Diaz, has produced workout videos for people and their pets. He suggests tying a toy around dumbbells, so when you do bicep curls, the cat will chase the toy.

Brown exercises Lucky Cat with a laser pointer and Silly String.

Catworkout.com is an international operation. Check it out en français:

In a reader? Click here.

Even if your cat doesn’t help you become fit, furry friends still produce therapeutic benefits for people. Studies have shown that pets have a calming effect and soothe people who suffer from depression and loneliness.

[LINK: CNN.com]

Charlie the Cat went missing two years ago in Lincoln, CA. Kristian Codero and her family never gave up hope of finding him.

“Every time we would see a black and white cat, we had to stop and see if it was Charlie,” Kristian said.

The Coderos routinely checked the Placer County SPCA and called animal control and other shelters with no luck.

Field Haven Feline Rescue rescued a very skinny and hungry Charlie outside Home Depot in October 2007. When Field Haven couldn’t find an owner, Charlie was put up for adoption, and went to live with another Lincoln family.

But Charlie had “litterbox issues” and the family returned him after a year.

After a series of medical tests to verify that the litterbox issues were not due to a medical condition, Charlie was certified as physically sound and was put up for adoption again.

Which is how he ended up in a Feline Haven Rescue Booth at Petsmart, where 10-year-old Karrah Codero spotted him while the family was buying pet supplies.

Kristian Codero contacted Field Haven and set up a time to meet the next day and bring Charlie home. It was a tearful reunion as Smith handed Charlie to Kristian, reuniting the cat with his owner after a nearly two-year odyssey.

As soon as he saw Kristian, Charlie came to life, leaving his quiet side behind when he recognized his long-lost family. Feline Haven had never seen Charlie so perky.

While Charlie’s story has a happy ending, Joy Smith of Field Haven Feline Rescue said that microchips can help make those happy endings more frequent. When Field Haven rescues an animal, one of the first things workers do is scan the animal for a microchip. If a microchip is present, a unique ID number and a telephone number show up, allowing staff to easily contact the rightful owners. If Charlie had been microchipped, the happy and tearful reunion would have occurred in October 2007 instead of this week.

Kristian Codero, Charlie’s owner,  learned her lesson. She immediately got Charlie’s brother microchipped as well.

[LINK/PHOTO CREDIT: Lincoln News Messenger]

Last weekend we reported on a strongly bonded cat-dog duo who had been surrendered and was seeking adoption in Northern California. The Marin Humane Society reports the good news that Frieda and Morgana have been adopted by a lovely Marin County family! Woooo Hooooo!!!! Enjoy your new home, you two!

Bonded cat-dog duo seeks new home!

Frieda, a two-year old female Chihuahua, and Morgana, a nine-month old female tabby mix, huddled together in a purple backpack last week after they were surrendered to the Marin Humane Society (MHS). Morgana and Frieda are the best of pals.

The unlikely pair are victims of the shaky economic times; Frieda and Morgana’s owner recently lost her home as a result of the financial crisis.

“Frieda and Morgana are best friends, so we want to find them a home where they can be together,” says MHS spokesperson Carrie Harrington. “Bonded pairs of the same species are not unusual. But adopting an already bonded cat-dog pair is rare — and very special.”

MHS began accepting applications for Frieda and Morgana this morning at 171 Bel Marin Keys Blvd. in Novato. Shelter hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. They will also be open on Easter Sunday. The adoption fee for the pair is $225. Visit the MHS website or call 415.883.4621 for more information about Frieda and Morgana and other animals available for adoption.

The neighbors had packed up to move to California the day Beans disappeared. When they unpacked in San Diego, they got a little bonus: a black and white cat who just wanted to add a little Spring Break excitement to her life. Beans enjoyed a week or so in Sunny So Cal before being flown back to the heartland–and she brought some sunshine with her.

• Watch a video report here.

In Los Altos Hills, California this week, City Manager Carl Cahill ordered the removal of the barn cats that have lived at the city-managed Westwind Community Barn for the past six years. According to City Clerk Karen Jost the action was taken for health and safety reasons.

When barn members and neighbors recently observed town public safety officer Steve Garcia setting traps, they expressed concern, and justifiably so: barn cats and other feral cats taken to the Palo Alto animal shelter are routinely euthanized, a policy that’s consistent with many other shelters.

“I like animals, I like seeing them around up there,” Los Altos Hills resident and longtime barn-member Linda Swan said. The cats were originally imported to help control the rodent population.

“There’s a lot of grain up there people feed their horses,” she said. “When horses eat, they spill it all around. Each stall probably has something that’s attractive to rats.”

“Now that we have a pro(fessional) exterminator taking care of the rat issue, (the cats) have no purpose,” City Councilman Jean Mordo said. “We love cats, all of us, so we are concerned.” He said the trapped cats were returned to the animal rescue group from which they had been adopted in 2003.

Six years ago, Friends of Westwind members adopted four barn cats from Humanimal Connection, a rescue group that rehomes displaced feral cats. Volunteers provide cat food to supplement their vermin diet. Although the cats have maintained good health, Humanimal Connection is available to fund any needed vet care.

The three cats trapped thus far are being held at the home of Humanimal Connection volunteer Judy Baker. “We’re still holding out hope that they can eventually go back to Westwind,” Baker said.

Failing that, she said she would pursue finding another barnlike setting to place them.

“I’m really so surprised, because when we put them there we thought, ‘God, what a wonderful home for cats,’” Baker said, noting that it wasn’t surprising the cats had been unable to keep the barn complex free of rodents. “It’s a big barn. It’d be hard for (a few) cats to keep up with that whole place.”

The Portola Valley Training Center has maintained and fed barn cats since 1990, according to Janet Neff, a volunteer who has fed the Westwind cats since meeting them while riding there.

Currently, residents and local animal rescue volunteers are negotiating with the city council and Cahill to return the cats to the barn and establish volunteer oversight of the felines. Let’s hope they can be returned to their home very soon.

Although there is no information on the means by which the exterminators are dispatching the barn vermin, Mr Cahill and his colleagues should consider NATURAL extermination. This could easily be accomplished in conjunction with a feline extermination force by encouraging barn owls on the property. Barn owls are voracious hunters, especially while raising their young. Each pair of barn owl parents will raise six to eight young at a time, and each nestling will devour an average of six mice/rats/gophers per night while growing into fledglings. This natural method of vermin control does not introduce poison into the ecosystem, which is important. Rats and mice who are poisoned in turn poison the predators who may take advantage of a struggling, dying rat and ingest the poison.

If you wish to contact Mr Cahill to ask him to rescind his eviction notice, here’s his contact info:

Carl Cahill, City Manager

Address:
Town Hall Offices
26379 Fremont Road
Los Altos Hills CA 94022

E-mail:ccahill@losaltoshills.ca.gov
Telephone: (650) 947-2514
Fax: (650) 941-3160

“Based on eyewitness accounts and people who consistently monitor the area, this person was always a person of interest,” Marin Humane Society spokesperson Carrie Harrington said.

Fortunately, it appears that no cats were sickened or killed in the attempt, according to Harrington.

About 25 feral cats live near the Rush Creek Place facility, and community volunteers leave bowls of food out for them, Harrington said. Marinwood resident Janet Williams, co-founder and president of Marin Friends of Ferals, a nonprofit organization that helps look after the animals, said she wasn’t surprised by the incident.

“There are people out there that really don’t like ferals,” she said. “I also knew (volunteer feeders) were having problems with water district employees.”

Williams said that some employees do help look after the feral cat population, but others have threatened or harassed the people feeding the cats.

Although the district is not responsible for the feral colony’s care, it helps the volunteers who tend the colony by occasionally paying for spays and neuters or by feeding the cats.